Page 71 of Just a Footnote

Liam grins then abruptly bites his lip to stifle it. Aiden hates that. Liam reaches out, slides his finger though the belt loop of Aiden’s too tight jeans, tugging him closer to his side. A pleased gasp leaves Aiden’s lips once their bodies nestle against each other. Liam rests his hand on the small of Aiden’s back, proprietary and claiming in the low light of the bar.

“Happy?”

“God,” Aiden swears, a flush rising to his cheeks.

Liam accepts the beer from the bartender with a grateful nod before taking a sip. “I hate losing.”

“Who likes losing?”

Liam laughs. The sound makes a swirl of emotions take root in Aiden’s chest. “No one, I guess.”

“Exactly.”

The familiar smell of Liam washes over him. Liam rubs the small of Aiden’s back, his whole body warms at the gentle, claiming touch. Just for a moment, he lets himself pretend. He pretends that Liam is his, that they’ll go back to their home together, that he can let himself be loved by this perfect man. They catch up for an hour or so, drinking, touching each other out of sight of the other bar patrons. Everything about Liam is lighting Aiden up inside, just his proximity makes Aiden feel calmer in a way that only Archer has ever really been able to do.

“I’m working with this charity back in Seattle,” Liam tells him. He seems shy about it, which isn’t a new thing, but it’s still endearing to Aiden.

“Yeah?”

Liam clears his throat awkwardly. “It’s a charity for fosterkids and at-risk kids. Me and some of the team teach them how to play hockey once a month on the weekends.”

“Liam,” Aiden says softly, not knowing what else to say.

“Hmmm?”

“Let’s go.” Aiden tosses his drink back, waits for Liam to quickly finish his own drink, then bodily drags him out of the bar.

They grab a taxi back to Liam’s hotel. Aiden rests his hand on the seat between them, tempting Liam to touch it. He feels like he won the lottery when Liam places his hand over his own.

Of course, Liam is staying at one of the nicest hotels in New York. All marble floors and glass chandeliers. Pure pretension. It strikes him a little odd because that’s not how he views Liam. Despite Liam growing up with the best of everything, even being rich on his own right now, Aiden knows he's down to earth. Salt of the earth. Otherwise, well, he probably wouldn’t love him as much as he does.

Thankfully the elevator is empty when they climb in. They stand on opposite sides, staring each other down. He feels somehow like he’s a world apart from Liam even though they’re sharing the same air. By the time the hotel door closes behind him, his hands are all over Liam. Hot and needy. Liam peels his shirt off so that Aiden can finally touch his bare skin.

“I missed you so much,” Liam whispers, watching with hooded eyes as Aiden kisses down his chest. “I want to fuck you.”

“Hell yeah,” Aiden agrees, grinning warmly up at Liam. They smile at each other for a few beats before Liam reaches out to tenderly cup Aiden’s cheeks in his broad palms. A shadow falls across his face.

“Aiden.” God there it is, the way Liam says his name. How can so much emotion be carried in just that one word? Aiden will never know.

“Hey now. None of that.” Aiden closes the distance between them to taste Liam’s mouth. He tastes like beer and mint, like he brushed his teeth back in the locker room before coming out with Aiden. But he also tastes like Liam. A little bit like home.

They tumble onto the bed a tangle of limbs and urgent fumbling hands. It takes too long to get naked but Aiden sighs in relief once they are. Liam's bare skin against him is the greatest thing he’ll ever know. It’s scary how well Liam knows his body, he can play it like an instrument even after their time apart. Liam knows where to press hard and where to lick softly to elicit all the responses he’s spent most of his life suppressing. A simple crook of Liam’s fingers inside Aiden sends him keening, gasping for air. It’s intoxicating. It’s enough to drive him into a fevered frenzy of want.

Sharp pain blossoms in Aiden’s body as Liam bites down on the inside of his thigh. A long moan escapes his lips, he tilts his head back against the pillow, tightly gripping Liam’s hair. Liam continues to bite his inner thigh as he roughly pumps two fingers inside him.

Aiden tugs Liam’s head back by the firm grip on his hair until their gazes lock. “Stop fucking around and fuck me.”

Liam’s shoulders shake with laughter as he slowly climbs up Aiden’s body. “Alright, alright.”

A firm hand on Aiden’s hip stops him from rolling over. He stares up at Liam in confusion. “What?”

Liam shifts up onto his knees, running a hand down Aiden’s stomach. The muscles of Aiden’s stomach tremble beneath Liam’s touch. “I wanna fuck you like this. I wanna see your face when you come on my cock.”

“Fuck,” Aiden swears softly.

He can’t even put up a fight. Liam tugs him closer until his cock slips into Aiden’s crease, teasing at his entrance. The world tilts sideways when he easily slips inside, right past theresistance. Aiden thinks maybe his body is succumbing to the fact his body realized a long time ago. That he belongs to Liam both in body and soul.

And that’s how Liam fucks him. Languidly, with Aiden arching up off the bed each time Liam slowly thrusts inside him, just to slowly drag himself out. The feeling is tortuous. Sweat dots Liam’s hairline the longer he fucks into Aiden, but there’s no hint that he’s going to speed up. Aiden’s orgasm prickles at the edge of his awareness, each time he almost spills over, Liam slows his strokes so that his orgasm disappears.

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